This invention relates to ornamental and protective edge guards such as applied to the edges of sheet metal members of automotive vehicles, for example swinging closures such as doors, trunk lids, hoods, gasoline fill doors, and other members such as drip rails, bumper edges, etc.
In the case of the vehicle's doors, door edge guards are applied to the trailing edges to protect them from damage which might be caused by striking an object which may be present in a door's path when the door is opened. It is also desirable for such door edge guards to be made of bright metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or a bimetal due to the excellent protective and ornamental character of such materials. Furthermore, the inherent strength and resiliency of metallic edge guards enable them to be self-retaining on the doors. Correspondingly it is generally undesirable to use separate fasteners or adhesives in securing door edge guards to doors since they involve extra cost in labor and materials. It is also generally undesirable to use strictly non-metallic edge guards such as plastic edge guards since they do not possess the excellent protective ornamental and self-retention characteristics of bright metallic edge guards. In connection with the usage of self-retaining edge guards, it has heretofore been recognized that the potential for paint scratching and marring exists when the metal edge guards are applied to the vehicle door edges. Such paint scratching can lead to premature corrosion of the door edge metal. Some of applicant's own inventions have addressed this matter of possible paint scratching and corrosion and have provided solutions. Some of applicant's prior inventions are represented by issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,704,687; 2,887,338; 2,856,230; 4,259,812; 4,334,700; 4,316,348; 4,338,148; and 4,365,450 and other pending applications, in addition to those mentioned above. Certain of these disclose the use of plastic liners to insulate the metal edge guard from the vehicle door. The liners may be extruded plastic, plastic encapsulation, foam plastic or plastic film by way of example.
For example, certain of these show an edge guard having a laminated plastic lining with the legs of the edge guard having insulated metal beads running along the free ends of the legs and by which the retention force is applied to the door. Metal beads are particularly useful for they can provide a stiffening of the legs at the point of force application to the door while also providing a decorative feature in the case of the insulated metal construction wherein the beads are formed by outwardly reversing the ends of the legs so as to yield a band or narrow strip of the insulating liner exposed to view. The liner can be a dark plastic so that the narrow strip appears as a darker colored band which contrasts with the bright metal of the remaining exposed portion of the edge guard so that the overall appearance of the edge guard is particularly pleasing and/or decorative. The liner can also provide a metallic appearance for the band corresponding to that of the metal, or other desired appearance, for example as disclosed in applicant's pending application Ser. No. 391,619, filed June 24, 1982. The present invention however may be practiced with or without such liners although usage of liners is definitely preferred.
One of the important advantages of metal door edge guards of the type which applicant has invented and successfully developed is that the metal edge guards are self-retaining. This means that no separate fasteners, adhesives or extra procedures are required in order to install the edge guards on the doors. This further means that there is less possibility for corrosive action to be initiated and it means that the installation procedure is less complicated. In many instances the edge to which the edge guard is applied will have a particular contour conforming to the desired styling of the vehicle. In most instances this is other than a straight shape and the contour will have peaks and recesses at selected locations. Applicant has also heretofore invented constructions and procedures for applying self-retaining edge guards to contoured door edges which have other than a straight shape. For example notches and overbends are procedures which have been applied in order to conform the edge guard to the contour of the door edge and enhance the effectiveness of the legs of the edge guard in retaining the edge guard on the door.
The invention disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,377 is directed to a door edge guard having a new and unique cross sectional shape which provides advantages which have not been obtained with prior edge guards. These advantages involve improved mounting and improved tolerance control of the door edge guard cross section. These in turn can minimize the amount of additional procedures such as notching and overbending which otherwise might have to be applied to a door edge guard. That edge guard provides a stronger edge guard cross section with improved retention capability, yet there are no extra complications of the manufacturing procedure or of the installation procedure. While insulation is preferably utilized with the metal edge guard, it is possible for the edge guard to be constructed without the use of insulation if that is what is desired.
The edge guard of that patent has what may be considered as basically a U-shaped cross section but embodying particular details of the cross section which constitute its inventive features. Ease of installability on an edge is significantly improved, yet secure retention is obtainable. Indeed, the edge guard may require no overbend for contoured edges, and it is possible for notching to be eliminated in certain instances. There is no tendency for the edge guard to "roll off" of the door edge, and this attribute is believed to contribute to the potential for elimination of overbend and notching. Without overbend and/or notching, manufacturing procedures are simplified, a still further benefit.
In accordance with the principles of the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,377 the edge guard is provided with beads at the distal ends of the legs which are formed by outwardly reversing the metal strip of the edge guard back onto itself. The legs further include an offset whereby the point at which the beads bear against the door edge is inwardly offset. The beads themselves may be either open or closed and they may be either inwardly or outwardly reversed. An insulating liner through which the force is applied to the door edge is also included. The base of the U-shaped cross section is basically of a semi-circular shape which merges into the offsets on opposite sides of the cross section.
In certain door edge guards of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,377, the generally semi-circular base of an installed edge guard may constitute an interference to adjacent portions of the automobile body structure for certain positions of operation of the door. The present invention is directed to a further improvement in door edge guards, particularly an improvement upon that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,377. More specifically, the invention comprises the edge guard along one half of the cross section being re-shaped so as to thereby provide a suitable clearance for a condition such as referred to above. In the preferred embodiment, the generally semi-circular base has different radii of curvature, and one leg of the edge guard is made substantially straight. The opposite leg retains similar novel features to those in U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,377 with the resultant construction still possessing excellent characteristics such as those described in that patent.
The foregoing features, advantages, and benefits of the invention, along with additional ones, will be seen in the ensuing description and claims which should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at the present time for carrying out the invention.